A Pretty Little Bird Told Me...: February 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Easy Crab and Jalapeno Omelette

Being in my last semester of college, I managed to get almost all of my credits out of the way. The way I noodled with my schedule, I managed to get Tuesday and Thursday mornings off in hopes of getting a job. Well I don't have one still, sadly, but I DO have a lot of free time for homework, the gym, and cooking!

Here's a fast, simple, healthy, and decant breakfast idea!

Crab and Jalapeno Omelette

Ingredients:
-2 eggs (substitute 3 egg whites if you'd rather)
-1/2 c. imitation crab meat, flake style, chopped
-1 fresh jalapeno
-Cheese (I used a Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Single)
-Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat pan. Spray with cooking spray. While the pan is heating, mix eggs in a small bowl.
2. When pan is hot, add eggs and move pan around to cover the bottom with egg. Every now and again, use a spatula to lightly push some of the cooked eggs aside. Tilt the pan so the runny egg on top fills in the gap. Make sure the bottom doesn't burn!
3. When eggs are mostly cooked (it won't take but a minute), add crab meat, jalapeno, and cheese. Fold the omelette in half while still in the pan so the cheese will melt quickly.
4. Slide onto a plate and sprinkle with black pepper. Enjoy!

Hard to believe you can have something so gourmet in less than five minutes, right?
P.S. I took all the seeds out of my jalapeno and it was STILL super spicy, so if you want less heat, try only using half the pepper.
Happy Eating!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Sushi, Sushi, Sushi!

I LOVE SUSHI.

I just love it. It's delicious, healthy, and super fun to make. This was my first attempt, and I am hoping for many more soon (in fact, I think a friend is coming over tomorrow and we can make some)!

You ready for the fun fact? I didn't use a recipe. I just kind of made it up.

You see, I decided that I wanted to spend two weeks on an All-Asian (or mostly Asian, mostly Japanese) Diet. Boyfriend and I went to Chinatown in NYC to get some groceries and discovered how inexpensive fresh fish and vegetables are out there. Like...I want to ONLY buy from Chinatown because of it. So we bought over a pound of fresh salmon, some imitation crab sticks, sushi rice, a bamboo sushi mat, nice chopsticks, wooden skewers, and the list goes on! Once I finally move to the city for good, you can bet your britches I'm going to be buying awesome bowls and plates. So I decided to try my hand at making sushi! I did look up a sushi rice recipe (involving rice vinegar and salt that I added to taste), and took a chance! So here's my take on a Philadelphia Roll, a California Roll, and a Spicy Crab Roll!

Ingredients:
-3 c. sushi rice, cooked, rice vinegar and salt added (this may leave you with extra rice, I can't quite remember)
-3 sheets nori

Philadelphia Roll
-1 oz. fresh salmon, raw, cut into small, relatively thin strips
-2 tbsp. light cream cheese, spreadable
-1/4 cucumber, julienned

California Roll
-2 imitation crab sticks, cut in half lengthwise
-1 tbsp. light cream cheese, spreadable
-1/4 cucumber, julienned (1/2 avocado is preferred, but I didn't have any at the time of my original picture-taking)

Spicy Crab Roll
-2 imitation crab sticks, shredded
-1 tbsp. light mayonnaise
-3/4 tbsp. sriracha hot sauce
-1/2 avocado, halved and thinly sliced
-2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Lay a piece of nori on the sushi mat.
2. Gently spread rice evenly across the nori. Do not make the layer too thick, but be sure to cover the surface.

3. Pile on the ingredients of your choice. I placed all of them at the end so they would end up in the center when I rolled. If you want a mix of rice and ingredients, cover the entire sheet.

4. Firmly roll up the nori using the bamboo mat. Make sure the ingredients stay together!

5. Slice evenly and plate. Enjoy!

I also attempted a roll with the rice on the outside and the nori on the inside, like you see in many restaurants. That was much harder and a horse of a completely different color. I'll try again sometime.

Making sushi in your own home is much more simple than you think! It takes a bit of patience but it is so worth it!

Happy Eating!

Dango (Rice Flour Balls)

If you've ever watched Japanese anime, you've probably seen these white balls on skewers that the characters eat. I never quite knew what they were, so in my research for Japanese food, I read about dango, which are essentially mochi balls. I found the recipe on this website. Boyfriend and I discovered that they're a tad tasteless, so make sure you pile on the sauces! The boy didn't like them but I actually thought they were pretty good.

You don't have to put them in the oven, but it definitely adds a little bit of a crisp outside that is a nice contrast to the gooey, chewy inside. We ate ours with soy sauce and wasabi alongside yakitori and sushi. Those recipes will come next!
Happy Eating!

Easy Coconut-Curry Kale

So I've been making lots of food lately but never take nice pictures or upload the recipes to my blog. So tonight, I have a quick and simple recipe for you to try! My boyfriend doesn't like kale much, and the last time I ate it, it was in the form of tasty, salty, crispy chips, so I thought I'd try again! This is a very healthy version using LIGHT coconut milk rather than the usual (which I love). I think it affects the flavor a tad, but with the curry paste, I can't complain! Hopefully I'll make it for the boy soon and maybe he'll like it.

Ingredients:
-3 1/2 c. chopped and washed kale
-1/4 c. water
-2/3 c. light coconut milk
-1 tbsp. Thai Kitchen green curry paste
-freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Add the kale and water to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk and mix well. Lower heat to medium and cook for another four to five minutes, stirring often.
3. Move some of the kale over in the pot and tilt so the coconut milk fills the area. Add the green curry paste to the coconut milk and mix until smooth. Return pot to normal position and stir. Add a couple dashes of pepper. Turn heat to low and simmer for eight to ten minutes (approximately the time it took for my salmon to cook). Remember to keep stirring now and again to incorporate the coconut milk and curry.
4. The kale should end up being soft and flavorful, with all the coconut milk soaked in. So easy, right? Enjoy!

Coconut-curry kale (top right). With pan-seared salmon, chicken bouillon-spiced rice, and kimchi.
Photo copyright 2012 Katie Peters